The Hidden Statistics That Control The NBA - Seth Stephens-Davidowitz - #749

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
What's happening, people? welcome back to the show. My guest today is Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. He's a data scientist, economist and an author. Basketball is one of the most popular sports on the planet. Seth has used advanced AI to statistically analyse everything about the players, their backgrounds, hand span, height, first names and more to uncover some of the wildest trends in the game. Expect to learn what percentage of American men over seven feet tall are in the NBA, why there is a huge outlier in the most common name of all NBA players, who the best height-adjusted player of all time is, just how important genetics are in basketball, whether the draft is actually effective and much more. Even if you're not a basketball fan, this is so fascinating. Someone that has used AI and ChatGPT and a bunch of other advanced tools to just do the money ball of basketball. It's really, really cool. Seth's been on the show a bunch of times before, and this is a bunch of stats I actually dropped on Rogan Show last week. So if you enjoyed that, you're going to enjoy this. So get ready. This episode is brought to you by Manscaped. It is the best ball and body hair trimmer ever created. It's got a cutting edge ceramic blade to reduce grooming accidents, a 90 minute battery so that you can take a longer shave, waterproof technology, which allows you to groom in the shower, and an LED light, which illuminates grooming areas for closer and more precise trim, or if you're just a particularly crevicey human. They've also got a 7000 RPM motor with quiet stroke technology and a wireless charging system that helps the battery to last even longer. So if you or the man in your life is hairier than you would like them to be, this is a fantastic gift to get yourself or someone else. Head to manscaped.com/modernwisdom and use the code modern wisdom at checkout for 20% off plus free shipping worldwide. That's manscaped.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom at checkout. If you're a long time listener, you will know that I've been drinking AG1 for over three years now. It is something I always suggest when people ask me how to elevate their health. It is a foundational nutrition supplement that supports your body's universal needs, including gut optimisation, stress management and immune support. You don't need a handful of pills or potions, just one comprehensive, convenient and tasty drink every single day. It's the same reason that Dr. Andrew Huberman and Joe Rogan and Lex Friedman and Tim Ferriss all use it because it is the best. Best of all, there is a 90-day money back guarantee so you can buy it and try it for 89 days. And if you do not like it for any reason, they will give you your money back. So if you want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. You can get a year's free supply, vitamin D3 and five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase, plus that 90-day money back guarantee by going to drinkag1.com/modernwisdom. That's drinkag1.com/modernwisdom. This episode is brought to you by Surfshark VPN. Protect your browsing online and get access to the entire world's Netflix library for less than the price of a cup of coffee per month. If you use a public Wi-Fi network like a cafeteria or a library or an airport, regularly that internet admin can see all of the data going back and forth between your computer and the internet. Your internet service provider is selling your data to companies that target you with ads and phishing websites are trying to steal everything from you at all times. All of this is fixed with a VPN and it is available across unlimited devices. So it protects your phone, your iPad, your laptop and even your smart TV. And it's got a 30 day money back guarantee so you can buy it and try it for 29 days. And if you do not like it, they will give you your money back. Head to surfshark.deals.mordernwisdom for an exclusive discount plus that 30 day money back guarantee, that's surfshark.deals slash modern wisdom. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Seth Stephens-Davidowitz.
What percentage of seven footers are in the NBA?

**Seth Stephens-Davidowitz** (4:13)
To the best of our knowledge, it's about one in seven, which is enormous. Pablo Torres, the first guy who calculated this, I've done a similar calculation, and everyone seems to unite around this number, around one in seven, which is just insane. Is there any other pursuit, glamorous pursuit, where one trait gives you a one in seven chance of reaching the absolute pinnacle of that field? I don't think so.